In various technical fields, a variety of objects or installations are accommodated in rooms or cabinets that may be closed with a door. It is often desirable to control access to such rooms or cabinets, and in such situations it may prove insufficient to lock the door with a mechanical lock. It is possible, for example, for a person not authorized to access the room or cabinet to gain possession of a key to the mechanical lock. For this reason electronic locks are sometimes used, since unauthorized access can be prevented more easily, or at least be monitored to know who and when a protected area is accessed. An electronic lock can, for example, be connected to a centralized security system and there monitored for unauthorized access.
In the particular field of telecommunications, numerous customers are connected with the switch of a telecommunications company via telecommunications lines. These customers are also sometimes referred to as subscribers. The switch is also often called an exchange, or “PBX” or “DSLAM” (a central office exchange operated by the telecommunications company). Between the subscriber and the switch, sections of telecommunications lines are connected with telecommunications modules. Telecommunications modules establish an electrical connection between a first wire attached to the telecommunications module at a first side and a second wire attached to the telecommunications module at a second side. The wires of one side can also be called incoming wires and the wires of the other side can be called outgoing wires. Plural telecommunications modules can be put together at a distribution point, including on a main distribution frame, an intermediate distribution frame, an outside cabinet or a distribution point located, for example, in an office building or on a particular floor of an office building. To allow flexibility in wiring, some telecommunications lines are connected with first telecommunications modules in a manner to constitute a permanent connection. Such a distribution point can be accommodated in a designated room or cabinet located either inside or outside a building and it may be protected by an electronic lock substantially as described above. Moreover, distribution points can be accommodated in manholes, i.e., underground holes that can be adapted to allow an individual to climb into the hole and provided with a cover that may include an electronic lock. The electronic lock may include an antenna, a transponder or a similar electric or electronic component attached to a door or other outside surface of the protected room or cabinet.
In applications where locks (whether electronic or mechanical) are employed, including in the various telecommunications applications described above, there is also a need to provide remote monitoring of secure cabinets, vaults or other spaces containing valuable equipment or other contents. There is also a desire to remotely receive or send information electronically stored inside a cabinet, vault or other such space. For example, inside a telecommunications cabinet, there may be a desire to remotely monitor the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, lighting, spatial orientation, etc.) of the electronic components or equipment housed within it. There may also be a desire to remotely read or record the inventory, maintenance history, serial number, subscriber list and other such information associated with the stored contents.